The annual Honey Gold mango harvest begins at Humpty Doo, near Darwin in the Northern Territory, heralding the taste of summer so loved by Australian consumers.

Honey Gold mangoes growing at Humpty Doo, near Darwin

Growing at Darwin

Our Honey Gold farm – a portion of a vast joint venture holding – was established when the first 17,000 trees were planted over 70 hectares in 2016. Another 3,000 trees were planted in 2017 with 11,000 more in 2018. This farm harvested its first crop in late 2019.

The Darwin crop

The warm and humid coastal climate of the Darwin region, which experiences cooler summers and warmer winters than other Top End growing regions by several degrees, promotes earlier mango flowering and fruit set, resulting in an earlier harvest than other regions.

Piñata Farms owns a 400-hectare holding in this region. Some 150 hectares has been set aside for mango production. Progressive planting will continue in coming years until all land is under cultivation. .

We have strategically selected Darwin as a mango-growing region to extend the start of Honey Gold season and meet consumer demand for quality, Australian mangoes. A small team is employed to develop the Darwin mango farm.

When the harvest begins, Honey Gold mangoes are plucked from the trees daily from late October or early November, despatched to ripening centres, then sent to supermarket customers nationally. Night harvesting is in place throughout all Top End regions to retain freshness and keep fruit blemish-free.